‘That’s a Topic of Discussion’ — Former Raiders CEO Doesn’t Sound Fully Convinced By Decision to Trade Kirk Cousins To Vikings

Colin Witte Sat, November 14, 2026 at 6:07 AM UTC

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Nov 8, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. © Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Fernando Mendoza’s introduction to starting in the NFL comes with a fairly unforgiving itinerary. Seattle visits first. Trips to Denver and Cleveland follow. Only then do the Las Vegas Raiders reach their bye.

That schedule helps explain why former Raiders CEO Amy Trask left room to question the timing of Kirk Cousins’ trade to Minnesota. She understood the value Las Vegas received, but also recognized what Mendoza loses when his veteran mentor leaves the building.

Amy Trask Leaves Room To Question Raiders’ Timing on Trading Away Kirk Cousins

Appearing on CBS Sports, Trask began by endorsing the Raiders’ original decision to sign Cousins. She valued both his ability to play and the guidance he could offer the No. 1 overall pick.

“I thought signing Kirk Cousins was a good, good, good decision, a very, very good move,”Trask said, emphasizing the mentoring, tutoring and advice available to Mendoza.

Her assessment became less definitive when the conversation turned to moving Cousins at the deadline.

“Whether they should have traded him now or waited a little bit until maybe after the season, that’s a topic of discussion. But they went ahead, and they made the trade now.”

Trask acknowledged that the Raiders received what they considered good value. Minnesota sent a 2027 third-round pick to Las Vegas for Cousins.

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She also gave the organization credit for evaluating Mendoza’s readiness.

“I don’t believe they would have made the trade if they didn’t believe it was a good time to put Fernando on the field.”

Those are separate judgments, of course. The Raiders can believe Mendoza is ready while still weighing the benefit of keeping Cousins around during his first starts. Once the trade happened, that option disappeared.

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Thetransition from Cousins to Mendoza has been central to Las Vegas’ season since the rookie arrived. The deadline supplied an opportunity to collect a draft pick, but the schedule in itself supplied very little breathing room.

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Fernando Mendoza Faces 3-Game Test Before Raiders’ Bye

Mendoza’s first three scheduled starts are against Seattle at home on Nov. 15, at Denver on Nov. 22, and at Cleveland on Nov. 29. Las Vegas then has its Week 13 bye.

That means the rookie must work through three consecutive game weeks before getting an extended chance to review his early performances.

Seattle presents the toughest opening assignment by the current metrics. The Seahawks rank No. 3 with aPFN Defense Impact grade of 88.0. Denver sits eighth at 80.3, while Cleveland ranks 14th at 74.8.

Trask found one immediate advantage in Mendoza making his debut at Allegiant Stadium. “The good news about starting this week is that the game will be at home in Las Vegas. I’m glad his first game is not on the road.”

The next two games remove that comfort.

“Then on the road at Denver, a very, very tough place to play. I know from personal experience. Then on the road at Cleveland. So, three tough games to start out and then a bye.”

Trask urged patience with the results, noting that quarterbacks who eventually become excellent often struggle initially. She believes Mendoza benefited substantially from watching Cousins and learning how to prepare.

Now that preparation gets tested against a strong Seattle defense, followed by consecutive road environments.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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Source: “AOL Sports”